Daniel Sturridge delighted after scoring on his first Liverpool appearance since August

Daniel Sturridge praised Liverpool’s team performance after they continued their impressive run of form to beat West Ham 2-0 at Anfield.

The England striker was playing in a Liverpool shirt for the first time since August, and he marked his return with a second-half goal. A moment, he admits, was a long time coming.

He told Sky Sports: “It feels great, but it’s a team game and I’m happy the team won. It’s just good to be back. I’m just happy to be out there playing and I’m grateful to God that I’ve been able to do that.”

The Reds have won five of their last six Premier League games, rising to seventh in the table after a disappointing start.

Sturridge believes that now – with his help and Brendan Rodgers’ influence – they are well-placed to continue their climb up the league.

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He added: “We’re winning games, that’s what matters most. I’ve been watching on the sidelines and the boys have been playing great. Sometimes the results haven’t gone our way, but as I said, we’re working hard day-in, day-out. We’re doing what the manager wants us to do, and his style of play suits the players here.”

Raheem Sterling opened the scoring for Liverpool six minutes after the break, and he too believes that the future is bright at Anfield.

Sterling said: “You can see everyone is really confident getting on the ball, and playing the style of football that the manager wants us to play. You can definitely see that coming through in the last couple of weeks and last few months.

“The team is playing some good football, and we haven’t finished as many of our chances as we should have. Now, with Dan up front, we’ll get those chances and more than likely he’ll finish them and we’ll win games.”